1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. In particular, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of causing highly associated contents to be sequentially reproduced while causing contents to be unpredictably linked by performing shuffle reproduction using artist link information indicating association among artists corresponding to contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a method of loading music data to a personal computer (PC) by ripping a song recorded in a CD (compact disc) or downloading a desired song from a music distribution server using music distribution service or the like has widely spread, such that a user can enjoy contents, such as music data, loaded to a PC by using the PC or a portable device (PD).
Like the PC or PD, a function of automatically selecting contents from a large amount of contents and reproducing the selected contents has been provided as jukebox application or the like in a system that manages and reproduces a plurality of contents.
In many cases, a function of performing shuffle reproduction of all contents is provided. However, in the case of the shuffle reproduction of all contents, the contents are completely mixed at random. Accordingly, there is no association among the contents. That is, since contents, which are not in common with contents under current reproduction, are reproduced, there has been a case in which reproduction not suitable for user's mood is performed.
Moreover, a function of performing shuffle reproduction within a contents group classified on the basis of specific attributes (genre, artist, album, playlist, and the like) is also found often in known applications. In this case, since contents having similar tendency are sequentially reproduced, it feels like there is association among the contents.
Further, as another reproduction method, for example, JP-A-2004-220710 proposes to perform continuous reproduction so that music continues in a last-to-first sequence of artists' names of reproduced songs. Furthermore, JP-A-2005-276311 proposes that contents having one of a plurality of different metadata in common are suggested.